Living Life
by Shadow Mystery
Summary: It has been five years since Juvia left Fairy Tail. And then she reappears and has changed. Too much. Why did Juvia leave? Includes multiple pairings: Nalu, Gruvia, Gale, Jerza and more!
1. Prolouge

"Gajeel-kun, some day you will have to make a choice between a sister figure and a love. That's why you need to stop protecting Juvia. Juvia can take care of herself." Juvia gave Gajeel a smile that did not succeed in hiding her hearts pain. "Juvia shall take her leave now. Tell everyone in the guild goodbye for her." She covered her head under her cloak and smiled again. "Juvia will always love you Gajeel-kun." She wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye and turned away, walking away from her family and friends. It broke her heart and it also broke the heart of the iron dragon slayer. The only thing that remained was the rain.


	2. Get ready for the Grand Magic Games!

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my second fanfic and I hope you like it! Please read and review. I also look forward to get criticisms that would help me review. Here we go!**

Five years. It had been five years since Juvia had left Fairy Tail. It seemed shorter. Time went by fast. Now Juvia was part of another guild, a guild she started with the help of two new and dear friends. Without them where she would be, she didn't know.

No one called her the rain demon anymore. Now she was the Water Demon. She liked the name. She now understood the value of having a name like Titania or The Demon. It brought pride to oneself and gained respect from others.

Her guild was named Falcon Claw. It was famous and prestigious. They had around a hundred members, all of them very strong. The guild master was known as Emotia. No one knew her real name. They were just as rowdy and noisy as fairy tail was and had the same values. Protecting your nakama no matter what. That was what they all believed in.

Juvia was now an S-class mage and one of the strongest in her guild. She was equal in power to four others, her most treasured friends. She now had the confidence to face the strongest of opponents. Now she used magic without holding back. She fought with her true power.

The sun's rays were as beautiful as ever. The sun brought memories of Gray, the man who showed her the sun, the man she couldn't let go of, even after five years, even after she knew that she could never win his heart. He was the very reason she left and she _still_ loved him.

**Flashback**

"_So Gray," it was Erza "Did you make everything clear with Juvia?"_

"_No. I didn't." He replied._

_Erza frowned. "Why not?"_

"_I don't think I like her that way. And besides who would like their stalkers anyway? She's creepy and scares me with her antics. I don't even understand what goes on in her head."_

"_But Gray!" Erza was speaking again "You could've told her to stop stalking you! You never stopped her from loving you! You've been making her hope for nothing!"_

"_She should've gotten the hint herself. I'll _never_ like her in that way."_

_**Slap!**_

_Erzas hand was on Grays face. As Erza stormed away, Gray stood caressing his cheeks._

**End of flashback.**

Juvia still remembered that scene that she had chanced upon seeing. When she left the guild Gajeel wanted to go with her but Juvia had said no. She knew that Gajeel and Levy liked each other and she wasn't going to steal their happiness.

She was happy and content with her new guild and new friends. The guild insignia on her right thigh was her pride. She smiled at herself.

The guild had been very happy for the last few days as they had finally been recognized as an official guild. Now they were waiting for the Grand Magic Games to showcase their excellent power and unbelievable friendship.

Juvia would have remained lost in thoughts if she hadn't been called right then. "Juvia, the master would like to see you. He said it's important."

Juvia smiled. Only one thing could be important now.

* * *

It had been five years since Juvia had left. And no one knew why. Gajeel refused to speak about it, even to Levy. Ever since Juvia left, Gray's life changed. No more –samas, no one to cheer him on his fights with Natsu, no one to scare away his fan girls. Gray sighed. Wasn't this what he wanted? To escape from Juvia? But now that he had it, he wanted her back. To be honest, he missed her and her craziness. Life suddenly became very serious. The fun part of his life was gone with Juvia. When he told Erza about this, she was a bit mad at Gray. She told him that this was called 'love' and that if he couldn't accept it; it was good that Juvia was gone.

Gray was lifted from his thoughts when Erza started screaming for the guilds attention.

"Now now Erza, no need to get so worked up." Jellal said. Erza blushed scarlet and mumbled something. Those two… the way they treated each other would make people think that they were father and daughter or mother and son. Jellal had been freed by the magic council for his help during the dragons attack. He joined Fairy Tail but Ultear and Meredy, who had also been released, had declined the offer to join Fairy Tail. No one had heard from them for a long time.

"All right brats!" Makarov yelled. "Are you ready to win 30, 00,000 Jewels?" Mirajane coughed. "I mean, are you ready to win the Grand Magic Games again?"

"Yeah!" The guild roared in reply.

Fairy Tail had been holding the title of 'The Strongest Guild in Fiore' for the last five years.

"All right then," Mirajane started "this year only one team can participate from each guild. Each team can have five main members and two reservation members. The team **should not** have the guild master as a member and each team member must have the guilds insignia. The Games will start in two weeks and will be held in Crocus. The dates for the game shall be 1st-7th of July. Is everything clear?"

Everyone nodded in response.

"Now for the team members." Makarov said. "Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy and Wendy!"

A cheer went up the crowd.

"And the reservation members," he continued on "Gajeel and Jellal!"

Another cheer went up the crowd.

"So now go TRAIN!" Makarov yelled as the seven members ran out to train.

* * *

"You five shall be the team members and they shall be the reservation members." Emotia said. "We are not doing this only for victory, but to show the people out there our strength and values. Understood?"

The seven people nodded.

"You may leave for training now." She said.

The seven people left.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Don't forget to review!**

**A special thanks to BrigitteoO for the first review on this story and for your great support!**


	3. Qualified!

**A/N**: **Thanks for reading everyone! Don't forget to review!**

Team Natsu was all 'fired up' for the grand magic games. Two weeks was a short time but nevertheless, they had made the best of it.

"So…Erza, where are we staying?" Lucy asked while tugging at her trolley bag. They were in the middle of Crocus and the city was very busy with the last minute preparations for the games.

"You won't believe our luck! We're staying at honeybone inn!" Erza looked a tad bit too happy with that.

"Uh… what's so nice about that Erza-san?" Wendy questioned.

Erzas eyes sparkled. "They have a costume party tonight."

Gray and Natsu groaned.

A group stood in front of an inn called 'Dark Rose Inn'.

"I like the name." One of them stated. "It has mystery in it. Just like us."

"Let's just go inside." Another said, clearly bored. "We have to get ready. Remember what the organizers said, we have to be ready for the first round by midnight."

The group walked inside without further discussion.

"Is it time for my punishment, princess?" Virgo asked. "No!" Lucy said, clearly exhausted. "I didn't even summon you! Go back!" She waited till Virgo disappeared and slumped on her bed. "Aargh! I'm dead!"

"Oh, come on Luce, She's not_ that_ bad. She brings you clothes every time you need them, right?" It was Natsu. He winked at her.

Lucy blushed bright red. She suddenly remembered the 'naked embrace' she had shared with Natsu during the dragons attack. Sure they were in a steady relationship now but still… that had been embarrassing. She suddenly felt someone's arm over her or more correctly someone was hugging her.

"Natsu!" She shrieked. "What?" he demanded.

"Your bed's right there you know."

"Yeah. So?" he inquired.

Lucy didn't have to answer that question as Natsu was being given 'Erzas treatment' for getting into bed with a girl.

Wendy, Gray and Lucy sweat dropped.

At Dark Rose, Juvia grinned at her teammates. "The games are officially starting….now."

"Attention Contestants!" A sound blared. "The preliminary round of the games is starting now. It's a Naval capture the flag! Each team will have a Flag with their respective guild symbol on it. Each team must reach the goal point and insert their flag into the space provided. The first eight teams to complete this task will pass onto the next round. If you lose your flag, you shall be disqualified. If you encounter another team, you may destroy their flag so as to disqualify them. This is a naval battle, in a sense. You have ten minutes to change clothes. The game will begin when you hear a beep sound." The sound stopped.

"Exquip!"

"Gray! How did you change so fast?"

"Natsu! Put clothes on!"

"Lucy, Wendy! Change faster!"

After a lot of shouting, the Fairies were finally ready. And suddenly the furniture and walls disappeared and a maze came up and then everything was under water.

"Gray, Natsu don't use your magic in here, all right?" Lucy said and then summoned Aquarius and Erza requipped into her sea empress armor. Natsu held the flag.

The team ran into a bunch of guilds and enjoyed destroying their flags. Natsu and Gray grumbled about not being able to fight but both of them were able to contribute a few punches and kicks to the more intimidating guys.

It took them an hour to find the end of the maze and they realized that they were the second guild to qualify. The minute the flag was put into the space the insignia on the flag disappeared.

"I wonder who made it through the maze first in a short time." Lucy said. "We'll find out tomorrow." Erza replied.

"You know," Gray said "I get the feeling that we're going to be surprised tomorrow. _Really _surprised."

"Me too." Wendy agreed. "It's a really funny feeling and I want to find it out so badly."

"I can't wait." Natsu grinned. "I'm all fired up!"

Everyone laughed.

They just didn't know that surprise waiting for them would be that large.

"All right people! Are you ready to meet the qualified teams?" The announcer yelled through the microphone. "Well here they are! Coming in eighth place, Twilight Ogre!"

An ugly cheering rose from the crowd.

"In seventh place, the one and only Quatro Cerberus!"

Another round of applause erupted from the crowd.

"In sixth place, the fearsome ones, Sabertooth!"

"Up fifth, the beautiful maidens, Mermaid Heel."

"Fourth place, the amazing Blue Pegasus!"

"Third place to the great Lamia Scale!"

The applause was never ending.

"Second, the rowdiest, noisiest bunch on the planet, Fairy Tail!"

The crowd was crazier than before, taking into consideration the fact that the rest of fairy tail were screaming.

"Bagging first place is a new guild which passed the qualifier in record time of twenty minutes! The newest and the fastest, Falcon Claw!"

As the team made its way into the arena, every single person was stunned.

A woman walked in with two boys and two girls on either side.

It wasn't that that stunned the audience. It was the members.

Ultear Milkovich, Meredy, Sting Eucliff, Rogue Cheney and Juvia Loxar.

No sound or movement.

"Well, that's disappointing." Ultear said "No applause?"

The crowd went super crazy and the falcon claw members who had come to watch joined in the applause too.

"Juvia! Ultear! Meredy! Everyone!" Lucy yelled before jumping and hugging Juvia.

"We missed you so much!" Lucy was saying. "Where did you disappear to, just like that? Don't you ever do that again."

"I missed you guys too." Juvia said. "Look at you guys, you changed so much! And My God Wendy, your all grown up now!"

Gray noticed that Juvia was no longer speaking in third person and that she had no trouble in having a conversation. He looked at her, hoping to see her eyes.

Juvia smiled and then she made a horrible mistake. The mistake of looking into Grays deep blue eyes.

From the one second their eyes held, Gray saw the change in Juvia and he wouldn't say he liked it. It still had that happiness in it, but something was wrong. And he was going to find it out.

"…talk here." Erza was saying. "You should come see us later."

"Of course, Erza." Juvia replied and walked off to get ready for the first event.

Gray could only watch as she walked away.

**A/N: Please leave a review and an idea for the events at the grand magic games! And for reading you get a cookie! (::) **


	4. Water Battle!

**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! Here's the next chapter!**

"It's time for the first event of the games, Water Fight!" Chapati was yelling. "Each team can send one member for the competition. The match will be thirty minutes long, and anyone who stays in the water for more than ten minutes gets two points. However if you are defeated before the first ten minutes, those two points will go to the person who defeated you. However, when only two people are remaining, we will add fifteen minutes to the game. In these fifteen minutes, you must defeat you opponent. Anyone who is knocked out of the water shall be disqualified. And now the participants enter the water!"

"This is so COOOOL!" Jason screamed. "The girls are so hot!" Every guy in the arena had hearts in their eyes while some were drooling and others had nosebleeds.

"Punto of Twilight Ogre and Rocker of Quatro Cerberus, the only two guys in the game!" Chapati commented.

"In there, with all those girls…" Hibiki trailed off disappointed.

"Beth of Mermaid Heel!"

"Jenny of Blue Pegasus!"

"Chelia of Lamia Scale!"

"Aurora of Sabertooth!"

"Lucy of Fairy Tail!"

"And last but not the least, The Water Demon, Juvia of Falcon Claw!"

A heavy cheer rose from the crowd as the girls dived in, wearing their two pieces.

"Who do you think is going to win, Natsu?" Wendy asked.

"Lucy, of course! She's got both Aquarius and Pisces to help her in the water." Natsu replied confidently.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Erza stated. "Juvia is not to be underestimated. She has great magic residing in her. I could feel it just by looking at her."

"So Ultear, who do you think is going to win?" Rogue was curious.

"Only one word: Juvia." She smirked.

"And the game begins now!"

"All right!" Lucy exclaimed. "Gate of the water bearer, I open thee! Aquarius! Gate of the paired fish, I open thee! Pisces!"

Lucy smirked. Aquarius and Pisces raged forward. All the participants tensed.

"Water Cyclone!" A heavy torrent of water hit both Aquarius and Pisces and sent them outside the water sphere. Juvia smirked at Lucy as she stood there awed.

"She knocked them out!"

"Amazing!"

"She's so strong!"

"Water Nebula!" The water reacted and sent Punto and Rocker flying.

"Water cane!" This time the targets were Jenny, Chelia and Beth.

"Amazing! Chapati was saying. "She knocked five people out in under five minutes gaining ten points for her team!"

Flacon Claw was roaring. Fairy Tail was amazed. This is how strong she's become, huh? Gajeel mumbled.

She looked at the remaining two and smiled mischievously. She got into a familiar position.

"Oh no… not 'wings of love'!" Gray groaned at the same time as Natsu snickered.

"Wings of Water!" She yelled as Lucy and Aurora were sent flying outside.

"What?!" Gray yelled. "She renamed that spell?"

Sure, it had been embarrassing, but Gray had liked it. He never said he didn't, right?

"She's strong!" Aurora said while flying, grinning at Lucy.

"I know!" Lucy grinned back. "I just didn't expect this!"

Aurora fell on the ground, but Lucy fell right into Natsus arms. "Had to catch you, right?" He grinned. Lucy went crimson red.

He walked back still carrying her, bridal style. Lucy smiled. He was still an idiot.

"Juvia Loxar has won the first event gaining 21 points for her team. She won 5 points by being the winner, 14 points for knocking everyone out and 2 points for remaining in the water, even if it was for less than 10 minutes."

The crowd erupted into applause, cheers and compliments. Makarov looked proud. Gray scowled. He was still pretty mad about her renaming that spell.

"Second position shall be shared by Aurora and Lucy, each of them receiving 3 points for Sabertooth and Fairy Tail!"

"Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel shares third place with 2 points each!"

"I am ashamed of you, dimwitted girl! You shall spin!" Ooba Babasaama shrieked at Chelia.

"Juvia-chan is so strong!" Lyon stated with hearts in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Kagura." Beth apologized.

"It's all right. Juvia was formidable." Kagura comforted the little girl.

Jenny was only worried that Juvia may have become more famous than her.

"And Twilight Ogre and Quatro Cerberus both receive 1 point each for participating."

Both the guilds looked ashamed of their performance.

"30 minute break before the next round!" Someone announced.

Juvia was being congratulated for her performance by her team.

"Not bad, water demon. But next time, take them all out at one go." Sting smirked.

"Juvia-chan! Fro thinks you were amazing!" Fro babbled.

"You were good." Lector stated.

"Yes you were." Rogue said simply, looking at a book.

"Oh my God! Juvia, you were awesome! You should have seen the shock on everyone's faces! You blew their minds. You…" Meredy was cut short by Ultear who made a sudden appearance, as usual.

"You'll need to keep this up until the very last day. Without _any _distractions." Ultear said knowingly. Juvia sighed. She knew Ultear was talking about Gray. Ultear liked Lyon but she never went around trying to impress him. Juvia wanted to learn that habit from Ultear. "Oh and by the way, master was pleased with your performance." Juvia smiled.

"Hey!" all five of them and the two exceeds turned towards the familiar sound. "So you guys gonna ignore us?" Natsu gave his signature grin.

"Hey Natsu!" Sting grinned.

Rogue and Gajeel nodded at each other as if acknowledging each other's presence.

Happy and Lector were having a staring contest while Fro babbled about something to Carla and Lily.

"Gajeel-kun!" Juvia jumped on Gajeel squeezing him. "Rain… woman… don't… kill…me." He pleaded.

"Sorry!" She quickly apologized, moving away. "I got carried away.

"Everyone! It's so nice to see you here!" She smiled and looked around at them all. But Gray noticed that Juvia was carefully avoiding eye contact with him.

"Lisanna!" She yelled and squeezed her best friend who squeezed her back.

"You were amazing!" Lisanna exclaimed. "When did you get this strong? Training with these four, huh?" She glanced at all of them and caught Sting looking at her in a _different_ way. She smiled at him and he looked away embarrassed.

"I didn't know I had it in me either." Juvia smiled.

"You stopped using third person." Gray stated.

"Well…" Juvia looked lost. "I dropped it when I joined Falcon Claw."

Gray raised an eyebrow not believing what she said.

"What about a lack of honorifics?" Levy asked.

"I dropped that habit too."

"What about Gajeel?" Lucy asked.

"Gajeel-kun is like a brother. So…" What was this? Juvia wondered. An interrogation session?

Luckily no more questions were asked. Everyone just talked about random things and training.

Juvia noticed Romeo and Wendy glancing at each other once in a while. She smirked.

She also noticed Sting glancing at Lisanna from time to time. Maybe she could fix them up.

And she also noticed Gray looking at her _all_ the time.

_He's just surprised. Just surprised._ Juvia told herself.

'_Damn it all! She looks so much more beautiful than before! Maybe I should talk to her. _Gray decided and went towards the girl.

"Juvia, I…"

BEEEEEP!

"All teams please assemble in the Arena now!"

'_FUCK!'_

Gray mentally killed the announcer.


	5. Fire and Shadows!

**A/N: Oh Boy! I'm soooo happy with the reviews! Thank you for taking time to read and review! I Love you guys! Cookies to all my readers (::) (::)! And now to the story…**

"And now we begin the second event of the first day, treasure hunt!" Chapati was rolling.

"Treasure hunt? Seriously? What are we, little kids?" Natsu was complaining. "I don't think they meant the literal treasure hunt Natsu." Lucy sweat dropped trying to calm down a raging Natsu. "I think it's going to be fun!" Wendy chimed.

"Two members from each team can participate in this event. Members of the same team will be given identical colour bracelets. Different teams will have different colour bracelets. These bracelets will serve as your communication device during the game. One team member will stay outside the game area, figuring out the clues and giving instructions to the players. The objective of the game is to find 10 hidden objects in 50 minutes. If you come across another player, you can fight them to get the objects in their possession. Clues shall be given for each object one by one, and each object should be found in a time limit of 5 minutes. When each object is found, the players shall hear a beep sound. If no one finds the object in the given time, you can start looking for the next object. To decide the winner, the two players with the most objects shall battle. Let the game commence!"

"Who do we send?" Lucy asked. "We'll send Wendy to do the thinking and Natsu can do the hunting and fighting. How's that?" Erza explained the battle plan.

"That's a good Idea." Gray agreed. "Do your best Wendy!" Lucy wished.

"Meredy, Rogue?"

"Sure Ultear. Leave it to us!" Meredy believed that no one could defeat them.

Once all the participants had been decided and the bracelets distributed, Meredy looked at the 'thinkers'. Yuka, Wendy, the chubby/skinny mermaid, Hibiki, three people she didn't know and herself. She looked at the 'hunters', Toby, Natsu, Kagura, Ren, three more unfamiliar faces and Rogue.

She grinned. Rogue would only have a tough fight with Natsu and maybe Kagura. She didn't think much of the rest of them.

The players entered the arena.

The first clue was announced. Meredy started thinking. So did Rogue.

"Got it!" they both yelled at the same time, making other thinkers tense. Rogue ran through arena, which was now a village and entered a shrine. He went forward and plucked a sapphire from the forehead of a deity placed there. BEEP!

Rogue smirked. This was easy. With Meredys help, he could definitely find all ten of those objects.

However, the second and third objects were found by some others and he decided that it wasn't as easy as he originally thought.

Meredy was a bit mad considering the fact that the second object was possibly found by Blue Pegasus, and the third clue was easily figured out by Wendy and that the object was easily found by Natsu.

The fourth object was found by Rogue and by luck he was able to run away before Kagura had come seeking for the object. Meredy was quite surprised by the chubby/skinny mermaids thinking skills.

The rest of the clues were all difficult and the thinkers and the players had a hard time figuring it out.

But Rogue was able to defeat a member of Twilight Ogre, and get another object in this time just like Natsu had.

By the end of the game, Rogue had three objects, Natsu had four, Kagura had two and Ren had one.

And by now, Meredy was completely pissed off at Wendy and her thinking skills.

"And now to decide the winner, a fight between the fire dragon and the shadow dragon!"

The crowd was screaming with anticipation and excitement. Natsu and Rogue walked to the arena.

"And the battle begins!"

"Roar of the fire dragon!"

Natsu smirked. "Did it hurt?" he teased.

"No. It didn't even make impact." Rogue stated, appearing behind Natsu.

"Where did you come from?" Natsus eyes popped out.

"What is that idiot doing?" Gray and Sting asked simultaneously, even though referring to two different people.

"Fire dragon iron fist!"

"Wing slash of the shadow dragon!"

Natsu and Rogue both appeared out of smoke, taking equal damage from the attacks.

"You know, somehow I think that Wendy will have a lot of job after this battle." Lucy stated worriedly.

"Flamebrain better win this." Gray threatened.

"The fight has got people very excited." Erza said without her eyes leaving the arena.

The fight went on for so long, without either boy giving up, that when the bell sounded stating that the match was a draw, people were protesting and groaning.

"You got stronger." Natsu complimented.

"Thank you. But even you got stronger." Rogue replied.

Natsu grinned.

When the day's events were over, Flacon Claw stood first with 26 points and Fairy Tail second with 8 points.

But unknown to all, Gray wanted to find Juvia and Juvia wanted to pair up Sting and Lisanna.

**A/N: Okay, Okay! The chapter was short and not much was there. The next chapter will be much better. I don't have ideas for events in the games, so please be kind and drop in a few ideas. And also a pair for Rogue is needed, so please help me with that. And as I always say read and review!**


	6. Happiness and Hurt

**A/N: This chapter is going to be about Stisanna (That's what I want to call Sting X Lisanna!) and a bit of Gruvia (Sorry. No romance!). Thank you BrigitteoO, Medeka-chan and Guests for your reviews. The idea by a guest for a unison raid was nice. I'll fit that in one of the following chapters. Have a great read!**

Juvia considered her options to pair up Sting and Lisanna. She could threaten Sting to talk to Lisanna, but how on earth was she supposed to match make the 'matchmakers' sister, who was equally good at matchmaking? She thought for sometime before deciding to talk to Sting.

"Sting? May I talk to you for a minute?" Juvia asked and hoped she wasn't tensing.

Sting just shrugged hinting Juvia to continue.

"You like Lisanna, don't you?" She smirked.

Sting blushed all of a sudden but returned to his serious face real soon. "What?! No way! Why would I like a girl with pretty blue eyes anyway?"

Sting mentally face palmed himself for having defined her eyes to an eager matchmaker.

"If you don't tell me the truth, I'm telling Ultear." Juvia was serious despite her smiling face.

The colour drained out of Stings face. Ultear was the last person who needed to know about a crush. She'd lecture you on and off about 'being brave and asking the girl out' or in this case 'not getting distracted'.

"All right! I _do _like her. But don't tell Ultear." He was practically begging.

"Only if you come with me to for sightseeing." Juvia was smirking and Sting knew that she was cooking up something in her head. He groaned.

* * *

"So Juvia how's Falcon Claw?" Lisanna was asking her best friend about her new guild. Lisanna had befriended Juvia because she was able to get along really well with Edolas Juvia. But boy, had she been wrong. It took time for Juvia to trust Lisanna but once she had, the two had become inseparable friends.

"It's amazing!" Juvia chimed. "Everyone is so friendly and warm! I had trouble being friends with Ultear, and even though she'll never admit it, I'm her best friend next to Meredy! Rogue reminds me of Gajeel and Sting is a counterpart of Natsu! Fro and Lector's just adorable! I love them all! We're just as close knit as Fairy Tail!" The two girls laughed.

Lisanna wanted to ask Juvia why she had left Fairy Tail, but she didn't want to ruin the fun they were having now. She would ask Juvia to dinner and they could talk about that then.

"Are you free tonight?" Lisanna asked. "We should go have dinner tonight, just the two of us. How's that?"

"Good idea!" Juvia agreed. "Where should we meet?"

"Right here at 8:00. Is that fine by you?"

"Definitely! Oh and by the way, Sting likes you. Should I tell him about your _ex_-crush on him?" Juvia asked nonchalantly."

"You will do nothing of that sort!" Lisanna panicked with a tiny shade of red. Juvia thought it was cute. Little did Lisanna know that Juvias matchmaking talents were on full roll.

* * *

"Sightseeing and dinner with me or lectures from Ultear?" Juvia was tapping her feet impatiently waiting for Sting to answer.

"Sightseeing and dinner, sightseeing and dinner!" Sting was acting like a 5 year old now. Juvia couldn't blame him. Ultear could scare the shit out of you with her lecturing.

Sting and Juvia made their way through Crocus chatting about random things. Juvia stopped in front of a florist a bought a bouquet of a dozen white roses. She handed the flowers to Sting.

"Why are you giving them to me?" Sting was thoroughly confused.

"They're not for you! You're going to gift it to someone else." Juvia was smiling.

"To whom?" Sting was curious.

"You'll see." Juvia replied.

They came to the meeting place Lisanna had decided upon. Sting saw her in a pink dress near the entrance. White roses, Lisanna, Juvia and dinner. Sting suddenly got the connection and looked at Juvia. She was still smiling.

Lisanna smiled at them and stopped when she saw Sting. Was it just him, or was she blushing?

"I'm sorry Lisanna." Juvia said with a sad expression.

What the hell? Sting wondered. She was smiling till now and all of a sudden she was sad?

"I can't have dinner with you tonight. Something came up. But Sting was glad to accompany you instead of me." Juvia was back to smiling now.

"Well bye!" Juvia waved and darted out of sight.

"Well, uh… This is for you." Sting gave the roses to Lisanna and hoped he wasn't blushing even though he was sure he was.

"Thank you." He heard her say and couldn't help but smile.

Juvia was grinning now that her plan had worked out perfectly and she had seen the two of them going inside the restaurant. It was a good thing that she had managed to bribe Meredy into looking after Lector. Juvias thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into a wall.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, rubbing her forehead. "I'm sorry. Are you all right?" The wall asked.

Wait a minute. Walls couldn't talk! Juvia looked up to see the last person she'd have expected to see.

"Gray?!" She jumped back a few steps surprising Gray.

'_Oh no! What do I do? Grays here! This is so frustrating! I should have had dinner with Lisanna!'_ Juvia was panicking.

"Are you all right Juvia?" Gray asked again, coming closer.

"I'm all right!" She yelped.

'_Stupid girl! Calm down!' _She scolded herself.

"What are you doing here?" He asked "Are you on a date?" Gray wanted to kick himself for asking that question. But then again, she was well dressed.

"No, of course not. Why?" Juvia was confused.

"No, nothing." He suddenly remembered he had wanted to talk to her.

"Listen Juvia, I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh." Juvia said. They walked together in silence for some time before Gray talked.

"How come you stopped giving everyone but Gajeel honorifics?"

Juvia was surprised at the question. Nevertheless, she answered. "I have known Gajeel-kun for a long time. We're very close. That's the only reason."

"So the rest of us are nobodies?" Even though Juvia couldn't see his face she knew he was being serious and that he was hurt.

"No! I never said that!" She said. "I love all of you! You're all important to me! I can't imagine what I would do if something happened to any of you!" She couldn't believe the question Gray had asked her but she had meant her answer.

"Even me?" Gray whispered but Juvia heard it. She looked at him, whose eyes were covered with his hair and for one second she didn't know what to tell him. She was supposed to be over him, right? She should be able to say 'You too, because you're my friend.' So then why wasn't she able to?

"Gray…" She choked on her words because of that painful lump in her throat and ran from Gray as the tears spilled.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! I hope Gray didn't seem OC in this chapter. Gray is a hard character to write. Any ways, as always Reviews are much appreciated! Thanks for reading and have a great day! :D**


	7. Time against Swords!

**A/N: I love you guys! Thanks for the reviews! now it,s time for some minor Jerza! Enjoy!**

Juvia was a mess. That was the simplest definition. She'd spent the whole night crying her eyes out and now she had dark circles under her eyes in addition to the red, puffy eyes. If anyone saw her at this time, she'd have to give some explanations.

_Don't get distracted Juvia. Don't get distracted. You have to focus on winning for your team and your guild._ She was calming herself down amidst the pain in her heart.

"Juvia! Come on out for breakfast!" Meredy chirped entering the room but stopped short seeing the state Juvia was in. "Juvia?" She asked, worriedly, touching her friends shoulder. Juvia looked at Meredy and broke down into tears, covering her face in her palms.

"Ultear!" Meredy called out, now completely panicked. "What is it Meredy?" Ultear walked into the room and went wide eyed on seeing Juvia.

"What's wrong Juvia?" Ultear asked with concern.

"I… Gray…he…*hic*asked*hic*…" She broke into more tears and recited the night's incidents to the two worried girls. "I*hic*don't know…" She trailed off.

"Juvia…" Meredy tried to bring out a few soothing words, but didn't know what to say. She knew best how much Juvia loved Gray because she had _felt_ it once, 12 years ago, on Tenrou Island.

"Juvia," Ultear said in a very calming tone. "It's okay to love someone above your own life, and to love them forever. But… don't let that love control you or your decisions. You must learn to control it." She paused and looked into Juvias deep blue eyes. "And if Gray loves you or feels anything for you or understood how he felt about you when you left, then he should be able to tell you that honestly and not through… clues. So stop crying and come on out, we're having individual battles today. And if it's you against Gray," She smirked "kick his ass for being an absolute jerk."

"Do you think she's going to be fine?" Rogue questioned. He wanted to make sure that Juvia was all right and if he didn't, he'd face an angry Gajeel.

"You heard that?" Meredy yelped.

"Dragon slayers have a good hearing." Sting replied nonchalantly.

* * *

Gray couldn't _believe_ what he'd asked Juvia. He felt like an insensitive moron after Juvia ran. He asked the girl who had loved him more than her own life if she still cared for him. If Erza and Mirajane found out, he'd die.

"You all right Gray?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, I'm all right." Gray needed to solve this problem on his own. So to change the subject he asked, "Why are all the girls so excited?"

"You didn't hear?" Gray shook his head. "Lisanna and Sting got together, courtesy to Juvia."

Gray was dumb-founded. He wanted to ask Erza how Juvia got them together but they were called to the arena to get ready for Individual battles.

* * *

"All right people! We have individual battles today! We will randomly choose 2 people to fight against one another from different teams. The first battle will be between Twilight Ogre and Mermaid Heel. The second battle is between Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus. The third one is between Lamia Scale and Sabertooth. And the last battle will be between the Fairies and the Falcons!"

A loud cheer went among the crowds with screaming fans.

"Now the shuffling lachryma does its magic and here you go! Envy of Twilight Ogre vs. Kagura of Mermaid Heel!

"I'll win this." Kagura announced confidently. "If you do, I'll shave my head." Envy mocked. Kagura smirked and charged. After a breathtaking fight, Kagura stood victorious.

"I expected nothing less from her." Erza praised the sister of her dear friend Simon.

"Now we have Ichiya of Blue Pegasus against Bacchus of Quatro Cerberus!"

"My parfum shall defeat you. I'll win this for my Erza!" Ichiya sparkled. Erza fainted and Jellal sweat dropped. "Whatever." Bacchus stated and took a swig of beer.

Bacchus won the fight much to the disappointment of the Trimen.

"Next we have Lyon of Lamia Scale against Flame of Sabertooth."

Both the boys smirked before fighting. Flame used fire magic, justifying his name. This led to a fist fight between Natsu and Gray as to which element was stronger until both were bonked on the head by Erza. In the end, Flame stood victorious much to Natsu's excitement.

"And now for the final fight!" A pause. "Amazing! This will be one of the best battles that the games have ever seen. It's Time against Swords. Ultear Milkovich vs. Erza Scarlet!"

The crowd had never cheered this loud before. Ultear and Erza entered the arena with a smile on their faces. Jellal, Gray, Natsu, Sting and Rogue were shaking in their boots.

"This is going to be one hell of a scary fight." Lucy's teeth were chattering.

"Give me your best, Ultear."

"I won't hold back, Scarlet."

"And the fight begins!"

"Requip! Heavens wheel armour! Blumenblatt!"

"Luminous minutes!"

"Requip! Sea Empress Armour! Water Slash!"

"Flash forward!"

The battle was fast moving with quick attacks and almost no defenses. "We cannot see what is happening! Who will be the possible winner?"

"This is scary!" Meredy exclaimed to Juvia who was watching the match carefully.

The fight was into the last minute. The last thing the people heard was a yell.

"The match is over!" As the smoke cleared from the arena, people were holding their breaths in anticipation.

"It's a draw!"

Both the girls were lying on the ground exhausted and clothes in tatters. One could easily make out their heavy breathing from the way their chests were rising and falling.

"Erza!"

"Ultear!"

The team members were in the arena. Wendy was healing Erzas worst wounds and out of the corner of her eye, she could make out someone crouched over Ultear, healing her.

After the worst wounds were taken care of, both the girls were taken away to the infirmary by the medics.

"They took the fight too seriously." Wendy said.

"They'll be all right." Jellal reassured Wendy, his face etched with worry and concern for Erza.

Lucy noticed Lisanna coming towards them after talking with Sting.

"Ultear's in an equally bad shape. But their healer was able to take care of the worst wounds." Lisanna reported.

"Healer?" Natsu asked.

Lisanna nodded. "A girl who was born with healing magic. It's very rare."

"I want to see Erza." Jellal said and the guild nodded in agreement. "Alone." He added.

"Oh." Lucy said.

* * *

Jellal made his way into the infirmary and noticed Erza on the bed with bandages on her face and limbs.

"Did you have to take that fight so seriously?" Jellal asked.

"We just wanted to give those people what they wanted to see." Erza replied, smiling.

"What if something even worse happened to you?" Jellal asked, pissed. "I don't want to see you getting hurt, Erza. You're all that I got." He whispered the last part.

"Jellal, I…"

"You want to fight for our guild. I understand that. But don't put that above your own life and health. I won't be able to bare it if anything were to happen to you."

Erza had tears in the corner of her real eye. "Jellal, I can't make promises that I can't keep. I'm sorry."

"I know." He replied before leaning into kiss her on her lips.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! The idea for a fight between Ultear and Erza was random. Let me know what you thought of that. And I was thinking of pairing up Rogue and Meredy. Let me know your thought on that too. Till next time then! Bye! (That could be next Saturday or Sunday.) **


	8. I LOVE YOU!

**A/N: Time for the next chapter! Off we go!**

It was an accident. It really was. Gray had not meant to see Jellal and Erza share a kiss. He had gone in there to check on Erza but Jellal had already been there.

_Of course. _He thought._ Jellal had wanted to talk to Erza in private._

Gray found himself thinking about Juvia yet again. She changed a lot. Not only in her personality, but also in her looks and dressing. She was so much more beautiful and confident than she was when she had left. He missed Juvia a lot more than he liked to admit. He remembered seeing hats on display and thinking how Juvia would have brought it. He remembered seeing butterflies and being reminded of her clip. He remembered seeing her in almost everything he did. So now he needed to tell his special water mage that he loved her. The only problem was finding out how she felt about him now. He remembered an idiotic guy who claimed to know the future tell him that he would have trouble with water and women in the future.

_Water and women. Juvia. Could it be?_

He saw Sting give Lisanna a quick peck on the lips and hurrying off somewhere.

_Lisanna. _Gray wanted to burst with joy._ She's Juvia's best friend. She should be of help._

"Hey Lisanna!" He walked towards the girl with a serious expression. "I need your help."

"Well Gray, You are complicated." Lisanna said. But the next second her eyes were shining. "You both would make such an adorable couple! Oh and your babies would have…"

"Uh… Lisanna, we're going off track." Gray wondered if matchmaking was contagious.

Lisanna cleared her throat. "Quite frankly, Juvia didn't tell me anything about you or even ask about you! But she still loves you."

"Really?" Gray was happy now. "So if I tell her that I love her, she'll say yes?"

"No"

"Why not?" Gray was confused.

"That you'll have to figure out yourself."

The only progress Gray got from his talk with Lisanna was that he understood that girls could be super weird.

"Rain woman." Gajeel said coolly.

"Gajeel-kun." Juvia smiled. "I missed you."

"Rogue looking after you all right?"

"They all take good care of me. Even Lector and Fro does." She smiled yet again.

"I took your advice. I'm with shrimp."

Juvia laughed. "You made the right choice by staying back." Gajeel smirked.

"Gajeel!" They heard a rather high pitched voice calling out. Seconds later an excited Levy appeared.

"I should go now. Tell Levy the magic words soon." Juvia winked knowingly at him and Gajeel went a tiny shade of red before regaining his stoic expression.

Juvia disappeared round the corner as Levy came closer to Gajeel.

"Who was that?" She asked.

"It was Juvia."

"Juvia? Why did she leave? Is it because I came?" Levy was aware of the relationship Gajeel had with Juvia. He had had a hard time coping with Juvia's absence and Levy was glad that the iron dragon was understanding enough to notice her love for him and return it.

Gajeel shook his head. He thought back on what Juvia had told him to 'let a girl know how you feel about her and make her feel special'. Gajeel and Levy had been dating for 3 years now, but he never told her the 'magic words'. Gajeel felt guilty for having hurt Levy while he was in Phantom Lord and was constantly trying to make up for it. He volunteered to be her partner during the S-class exams on Tenrou Island for that very reason. He always feared that one day Levy would leave him and that he would be alone in the world. When Levy found out about his fears one day, (Courtesy to Juvia and Lily), She slapped Gajeel and asked him if he thought so low of her, crying her eyes out and had yelled at Gajeel that he would always be her love no matter what happened. What could he do for a girl like that?

"Levy?"

Levy turned around, shocked that Gajeel had called her name.

"Yes?" She asked hoping that nothing was wrong.

Gajeel looked at the sky and then he turned towards her and yelled out so loud that the whole of Crocus could hear. "I LOVE YOU!"

Levy looked startled before smiling and jumping on Gajeel, kissing him on his lips.

He kissed her back and Levy was in heaven.

Lucy was smiling to herself as she remembered the scene where her best friend kissed Gajeel. Lucy couldn't help but wonder if those two would take thing to the, well, next level.

"Luce, wait up!" Natsu was running toward her minus happy and she got a real weird feeling that Natsu was up to something. "Let's kiss!" he pulled Lucy towards him.

"Natsu we're in the streets!" Lucy was blushing madly now.

"But Gajeel's kissing Levy! I won't let him have more kisses than me." The last sentence came out in the tone that told Lucy that they wouldn't be going to the inn that night.

**A/N: I promise the next chapter will have Gruvia! Thanks for reading up until now! And leave a review!**


	9. A wrongly done unison raid!

**A/N: I promised Gruvia, so here's Gruvia! The unison raid and jealous Gray were born from the idea of one reader and I would like to thank him for that. Enjoy!  
**

Juvia was standing in the arena with Gray, Lyon, Milliana, Eve, Drake, Pluto and Coral. This round in the games was called 4 way battles and Juvia honestly had no idea as to what it was.

She silently cursed Meredy for pushing her into a round in which Gray of all people was participating.

"In this round we split the 8 participants into two teams. Team 1 will consist of Juvia, Coral, Eve and Lyon. Team 2 will consist of Gray, Milliana, Pluto and Drake. In the first part of the game, both the teams shall fight against each other until one team is completely out of members. In the second part, the members of the winning team shall fight against each other to have a winner."

The participants assembled into their respective teams and waited for the signal to begin.

BEEP!

Gray had to admit that both teams were equally strong and determined. From his team, Pluto was eliminated and from the other team, Coral was eliminated.

"Crap!" Gray cursed. He created a hammer that took down Eve. Now there were only Lyon and Juvia standing.

"It appears that team 1 is losing. Team 2 has three members remaining while team 1 only has two!" The announcer was clearly excited. "Can the combination of water and ice defeat their rivals?"

Lyon created multiple ice geysers that took out Drake and Milliana.

"What the fuck?" Lyon cursed. Gray was still standing.

"Team 1 is back on track leaving only Gray to be eliminated." The lachrymas showed a pissed Lyon and Gray and a determined Juvia.

Juvia smirked at Gray before grabbing Lyons hand.

"Don't tell me…" Gray was shocked.

"… Juvia and Lyon are going to perform a unison raid!" The announcer blared.

* * *

Gray was losing focus on the battle. He was more concerned with the fact that Lyon and Juvia were too close with each other both physically and mentally. Mentally because unison raids couldn't be performed without close bonds. What was even worse was the fact that Lyon had his arm around _her_ _waist_ and that his _bare chest_ was pressed against _her breasts_ and that she could probably feel his abs. The position was exactly similar to the time when Juvia and Gray had done their first unison raid together. He gritted his teeth and could hear Natsu yelling at him to defend himself from the attack. But _no_. Gray had to be mad enough to slice Lyon into pieces right then and there because a unison raid of water and ice was Juvia's and Gray's thing. Like caramade franks were their food. Unison raids were _their_ thing. And just because he was too busy handling his thoughts on how cruel life was, he was taken down and all went blank.

* * *

Juvia was shocked when Gray didn't try to block their attack. She was even more worried when Gray was hit by the attack and fell to the ground. The magic was quite strong and Juvia was worried about Gray. So she took out the anger for having hurt Gray by defeating Lyon and decided to go visit Gray who was in the infirmary. She knew that Erza would be there too. She and Erza had talked when she'd gone to visit her after her fight with Ultear and Erza.

"Juvia-Chan!" Lyon ran towards her waving. His face had a smile that he always wore and Juvia smiled back. "The fight was amazing." Lyon complimented her and Juvia laughed.

"Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go for dinner with me tonight. L-like a date. What do you say?"

"I'm sorry Lyon. But I can't if it's a date. But I will come as a friend." She smiled.

Lyon sighed. "Is this about Gray?" he asked. "It's been five years Juvia! Freaking five years! Are you still waiting for him? A coward who can't face his own emotions?" His voice was rising and Juvia was glad that they were outside.

"It's not about Gray, Lyon." Juvia replied in a very calm voice. "It's about _you_. I can't fall in love with you because you're like a friend to me. And I'm sorry. But that's all you'll ever be to me." She turned away and walked a few steps before stopping and saying "You asked me if I was still waiting. You waited for me for five years, didn't you?" She smiled to herself before walking away again, leaving a thoughtful Lyon behind.

Juvia walked into the white infirmary. The only thing _not_ white was a few red roses in a vase on a side table. She saw Erza on one bed smiling and holding hands with Jellal. She smiled at the scene before going over to the next bed separated from Erza's space by a curtain. This one was crowded and Juvia knew that Gray was there.

"You idiot! How could you lose to Lyon of all people?" Natsu was jumping up and down with flames in his mouth. "Calm down Natsu, He's resting. Don't wake him up." Lucy was trying quite unsuccessfully to calm him down.

"Is Gray all right?" Juvia asked causing her friends to turn and smile at her.

"He's all right." Mirajane said with a smile. "Just tired." She glared at someone behind Juvia and smiled at Juvia again. When Juvia turned around not one her friends were in sight. "Oh dear, I need to go see someone now. But I can't leave Gray alone…" She smiled at Juvia again. "I know! Why don't you stay with him until he wakes up? Bye!" Mirajane walked out before Juvia could reply.

Juvia couldn't leave without someone else coming to see Gray and she had a feeling that no one would. She really needed to learn to decode the meanings of Mira's smiles

She sat down on a chair next to the bed and played with her skirt for a while. She looked at Gray's sleeping face and realized that he looked like an angel. She giggled and noticed that Gray was stirring.

_Don't wake up now!_ She was panicking even though she could leave when Gray woke up. She shut her eyes out of fear.

"Juvia?" Gray asked. She opened her eyes very fast. He was shocked to see her there, but was happy that she had come to see him. _She still cares._ Gray thought.

"Hey Gray! I-I need t-to leave now." Juvia stood up with an awkward smile but Gray caught her wrist.

"Help me sit." He commanded, kindly.

She complied and propped him up on a few pillows so that he would feel comfortable.

"You got a lot stronger." Gray complimented her with a smile.

"Thank you." She gave a tiny smile. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Gray?"

"Hmm?" Gray looked at Juvia who was playing with her hands and looking at her skirt.

"Why didn't you defend yourself from the attack?"

Gray thought about it. He didn't want to tell her the truth, but didn't want to lie either. So he said "It reminded me of something and took away my concentration."

Juvia nodded.

"You know Juvia, I missed you." Juvia was shocked. _He missed me?_

"And I guess that I understood that I like you more than just-"

"Please stop Gray." Gray looked at Juvia who had tears in her eyes. He wondered what he had said wrong.

"I should leave now." She left the room and Gray couldn't help but feel the pain in his heart because the girl had left with tears both the times he had spoken to her.

**A/N: I did it! I completed this chapter! School is busy and so don't get disappointed with me for not updating as fast as before. I'll try my best with the story and you can look for a new chapter every week. Thanks for your support till now and don't forget to drop a review!**


	10. A Trial on Confessions!

**A/N: Sorry for not updating for so long! I was really busy and kinda lacking ideas… But happy news guys! This is the 10****th**** chapter of the story! Aaand the story completed 50 reviews! *trumpet sounds* Thanks for your awesome support till now!**

"_Losing him was blue like I've never known _

_Missing him was dark gray all alone _

_Forgetting him was black trying to know somebody you've never met_

_ But loving him was red."_

_ ~Red – Taylor Swift_

'Kill me. Just _kill _me.' Juvia thought. What Gray told her replayed in her mind over and over again. He missed her. It was the most unreachable thought for Juvia. Hadn't he wanted her to leave?

She curled up into a ball on her bed. She wasn't feeling very well. Who would after spending a whole night crying instead of sleeping?

_Gray._

He had always been a cool guy to everyone. And Juvia had fallen for his looks when they'd first met. But he had taken away her eternal depression along with the rain that had plagued her from her birth. He had shown her the one thing she wanted to see and believed she would never see. He had shown her the sun and the blue skies.

He had given her family and friends. And Juvia knew then that she was falling for Gray Fullbuster, as a person. She fell in love with who he was. She wouldn't leave him even if he lost everything.

He was the one person Juvia wanted by her side the most. And losing him wasn't an option for Juvia. And for a while she had believed that Gray also held feelings for her, just to realize that she was wrong.

When Gray would get possessive of her around Lyon, Juvia had really believed that things were changing. It never did. All she ever was to Gray was a bother. And now, was he hinting that he loved her?

If Gray was happy, that was enough for Juvia to be happy too. It just sucked that he didn't feel the same.

She wiped the tears away from her face. She needed to forget him. She needed to get a life.

_She needed to. She didn't _want_ to._

"I'm so _sorry_ Gray." She took in a breath in the midst of her tears. "I'm so _sorry _for hurting you with my love."

She would just have to wait and see.

And she cried into her pillow yet again.

What had he said wrong? Maybe Lisanna had been right. Juvia wasn't going to run into his arms if he simply told her that he missed her and loved her.

Why hadn't he realized his feelings for her sooner? He was an absolute idiot to never love her the way she wanted him to. If Juvia were with him right then, he would hold her in his arms and assure her that he would never let her go.

_Juvia._

She was a mystery to the entire guild. The only person who knew her past was Gajeel. Gray hadn't thought much of her when they'd first met. She was an enemy. But he had saved her from death and had shown her the sun and the clear skies.

He knew that she was eternally grateful to him for that favour he had done her.

She scared him at first with her obsessive nature, but later he found it fun. He'd begun to like it.

She had believed in him and defended him against his entire guild when he was a part of Daphne's plan.

She and he had a great bond that was proved with their unison raid.

She was always there for him, whether he wanted it or not.

She had filled the hole in his heart. The hole that was created when he lost his parents and then Ul.

He didn't like it when Lyon stuck around Juvia with his 'love proclamations.'

And before he knew it, he was in love with Juvia Loxar.

"I'm sorry Juvia. But if I get you back, I'll make you forget your fears and give you all the love you deserve." He closed his eyes and fell into sleep once more, as a small, but visible rolled of his cheeks.

* * *

As the last day of the Games ended, Fairy Tale won against Falcon Claw with a minor point difference. The Falcon team wasn't complete without Ultear and Juvia, as rightly noted by Erza, who herself hadn't participated in the last few days events due to the injuries she had acquired during her battle with Ultear. But she had enjoyed the games from the sidelines, and was very pleased with Fairy Tail's victory.

Even though the reservation members of falcon claw, Angel and Yukino, had put up a good fight, Ultear and Juvia were stronger. Ultear couldn't participate due to the same reasons as Erza, but none except the Falcons knew why Juvia hadn't participated.

"Hey Guys! Congrats!" Team Fairy Tail turned around to see a very excited Meredy, a smiling Yukino and Angel, an expressionless Rogue, a grumpy Sting along with Fro and Lector.

"Thank you so much. And congrats to you for getting the runners up. You guys put up a good show." Erza replied sincerely.

"Ha ha! Runners up! You lost!" Natsu was dancing around Sting while Lucy was trying her best to calm him down.

"So, won't all of you be there for the grand party?" Mirajane asked with her dazzling smile.

"Sure!" Yukino replied with a smile gracing her face. She thought of Mirajane as an elder sister ever since the fight against the dragons five years ago.

"All the guilds are going to be there. At least, that's what I heard." Lisanna stated cheerfully. "Won't Juvia and Ultear be there too?" She asked Meredy.

"Of course! If they say no, I'll drag them out!" Meredy said causing everyone to smile.

* * *

Erza sat by the window in the room at the inn where she was staying with her friends. She saw two children running on the streets holding hands. _'Childhood Innocence.'_ She thought and smiled to herself.

"Hey Erza."

Erza turned around to see Gray behind her, looking out of the window as well. "Hello, Gray. How do you feel now?" She enquired.

"I feel much better than yesterday, anyway." He joked. "I'm so glad they let me out the day before. Otherwise, I would've died from boredom!"

Erza smiled at Gray and resumed to look out of the window.

Gray looked at Erza and pondered if he should ask her about _her_. He didn't know if Erza would even answer him, but there was no one else other than Erza who he could talk to at this point of time. He gathered up the courage to ask his question.

"Erza? I have a question."

"Is it about Juvia?" Erza asked back nonchalantly.

Gray's mind suddenly froze. He wasn't expecting Erza to understand his question without his asking. "Yes. How did you know?" He asked, shock written all over his face.

"That's the only subject you seem to ask or talk about since the games started." She turned away from the window and looked at Gray's face, straight into his eyes.

"I-uh…" Gray was at a loss for words. Erza could read him well. Gray was trying to formulate an answer to Erza's statement, when she spoke up again.

"Gray, I heard from Lisanna that you'd asked her for help and I know about those two scenes you had with Juvia."

Gray slowly nodded his head.

"I also know that you only recognized your feelings for her after she left guild."

Gray nodded again.

"I also understand that you are having a hard time in getting to talk with Juvia and communicating your emotions."

He turned away, his back facing Erza, fists clenched with the tension he was feeling.

"I'm sorry to say this Gray, but if you want to tell Juvia how you feel, tonight's party will be your last chance. They'll leave tomorrow and even if you manage to find her in Falcon Claw, she might not be willing to talk to you. But tonight she will because she'll be surrounded by us. We are her family and friends, Gray. And you are the reason that she found all of us. You are the reason she found her home."

Hearing those words that came from Erza, Gray was fighting to stop himself from breaking down.

"Juvia loves you too much to hate you, Gray. Even now, even though she is hurt believing that you don't love her, she would give up her life for you, Gray. That's how strong her love for you is. She would never give up on you Gray. Never." She stood up from her seat and dusted her skirt and smiled at Gray. "Go get her." She winked.

Gray had not seen Erza wink, but what h had heard from Erza gave him hope that he still had a chance with Juvia. And he was going to take that chance no matter whatever happened.

* * *

Gray made his way around the huge hall of the Palace of Crocus trying his best to spot a certain bluenette. He was, for once, fully dressed, in a black tux with a deep blue tie to embellish his outfit. He had seen so far, Lucy and Natsu, Jenny, Sherry and Ren, Kagura and also Elfman and had talked to them as patiently as possible and had run off when done talking without wasting a second.

He'd looked all around the hall and still hadn't seen Juvia. He was now starting to think she hadn't come at all.

"Hey Gray!" Gray turned around to see a _very_ drunk Cana waving at him.

"What is it, Cana?" Gray snapped. He did not have enough patience left to handle the card mage. Nope, he didn't.

"Juvia looks sad."

_Now_, he had patience.

"Where is Juvia, Cana?" Gray asked politely helping Cana to a chair. He knew that the only way to get answers out of Cana would be by being really nice to her.

"She's on the balcony on the second floor." Cana said aimlessly before Gray dashed up the stairs.

* * *

Gray looked around the second floor and out on every balcony he passed to find Juvia. The second floor, Gray noted, wasn't crowded at all. He could only spot couples whispering to each other or silently holding hands or simply watching the night sky side by side. The entire floor was quiet and not even the sound from the lower floor could be heard. He walked on peaking out on balconies until he saw the silhouette of the girl he had been searching for.

He could only see her back but he already knew that she would look mesmerizing. Juvia was wearing a plain and pale silver strapless gown. Her long hair cascaded down her back in waves up till her waste. As far as Gray could see, she was watching the moonlit sky. He took in a deep breath and walked to her.

"Good evening, Juvia." Gray greeted. _Yeah, great way to start, idiot!_

Juvia jumped at the sudden sound and turned back to see Gray looking at her. Her eyes widened out of shock.

"You look beautiful." Gray commented, mentally slapping himself for talking so pointlessly.

"Thanks. You look good too." Juvia was making an attempt at small talk and it turned out to work just fine.

The uncomfortable silence between them became so intense that Gray thought he'd become invisible.

"Juvia, we need to talk." Gray decided to start this talk and set things straight with the little amount of time he had at hand.

"I don't have anything to say." Juvia snapped at him.

"Well, I do. And guess what? I happen to have a lot to say." Gray stated a bit harshly, but nevertheless, his sudden change in attitude got Juvia's attention.

"Listen, Juvia, I've known for a long time that you've loved me and I haven't been the straight forward guy I should have been. I've never been able to understand my emotions about anything, much less voice them out. My feelings about you were a complete mess until… until you left."

Juvia continued to look at Gray with wide eyes that held something that Gray couldn't place.

"I don't know if you wanted it like this, but I do…. I do love you. If you don't believe me, Let me show you."

He got one step closer to Juvia and put one arm around her waist and the other he placed on the side of her head. He felt Juvia clutch her wrist on the railing of the balcony as their faces got closer and closer. Their noses touched and they could feel each other's breath. Their lips nearly touched before they heard a ear shattering scream from downstairs and ran down, never having kissed.

**A/N: Love me/Hate me? Forgive me for not updating for so long! Don't forget to R&R! :D**


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